


CATastrophe

by Daphnean



Series: Soo Saptember [12]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Fluff, M/M, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 12:52:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15972698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daphnean/pseuds/Daphnean
Summary: It takes only one escape attempt for Kyungsoo's cat to become pregnant. He ends up with a whole lot more than kittens on his hands.





	CATastrophe

Kyungsoo slipped into Chanyeol’s car, settling Sassy’s carrier onto his lap. The cat pushed her face to the grate, Kyungsoo responding by slipping his fingers past the bars and letting her rub against them. Immediately, she began to purr, her blue eyes closing.

“Your silence says something, but I just can’t figure out what.” Chanyeol put the car in drive, heading back towards Kyungsoo’s house, sparing a glance over once they reached a stoplight. “She’s not dying, is she?”

Sighing heavily, Kyungsoo let his head thud back against the headrest, before closing his eyes. “She’s pregnant.”

Without looking over, he could tell Chanyeol was gaping. “But she only got out the one time!”

“Apparently that was enough.” Kyungsoo kept petting her, glad she was handling the car ride and vet visit so well. “Dr. Zhang says by the growth of her belly, she’s halfway through. The timing is almost perfect with her escape.”

Kyungsoo had remembered calling Chanyeol weeks back, frantic because his precious Himalayan had run outside as he had brought in groceries one afternoon. They’d spent the whole evening searching for her, only to find her once they had given up for the night, her fluffy form huddled on the porch near the front door. Overcome with relief, he hadn’t even scolded her.

“You know anyone who needs a kitten?” He finally opened his eyes, watching his friend. “And don’t worry, this won’t happen again. I’m getting her fixed once the vet says she’s able, after the kittens are born of course.”

Chanyeol made a pondering face, gently tapping his fingers on the wheel as they drove. Some hip-hop song Kyungsoo hadn’t heard before was playing quietly, which is likely what Chanyeol was drumming to. “I’m still a dog person, Baek too. I don’t know about Dae, but I can ask…and I think Yura likes cats too. Makes me wonder what cat knocked her up? Bet her kittens will be pretty.”

While he wanted to be upset, at having to pay for all of the extra vet visits and for the work that came with kittens, Kyungsoo was also a little excited at the prospect. It wasn’t like he could blame anyone either, as he’d been the one putting off fixing Sassy due to being busy. The latest few articles he’d been working on were fairly time consuming, including one overseas trip, but he still could have made the time.

“I can feel you thinking from here.” Chanyeol grinned over at him. “We’ll get it figured out, man. Things have been wild for you for like two months now. At least she’s not sick, right?”

The swollen belly, even she had been eating and drinking well enough, and made Kyungsoo panic yesterday afternoon when he felt it beneath all of her fur. Chanyeol was right about that much.

Kyungsoo didn’t know how much he’d like cats, after owning dogs for much of his life, but with his food critic career blooming, he wasn’t home as much as he would have liked for a puppy. A cat seemed the perfect option as Baekhyun compared him to the animal often enough, and the choice was further sealed by meeting Sassy. The moment he sat down in the cat room at the shelter, she found his lap and didn’t want to let him go. So he didn’t; scooping her up into his arms and adopting her that day.

“That’s very true.” Kyungsoo smiled down at her, angling her carrier to get a glance in. “Thanks again for taking us.”

Chanyeol pulled into Kyungsoo’s drive and smiled. “My pleasure. You came and stayed all night with me when Toben ate a guitar pick...I still have nightmares about that. I know I was a wreck all throughout that surgery.”

Resting a hand on the crook of Chanyeol’s arm, he gave his friend a squeeze of reassurance. “He made it out okay. Sassy will too.”

As always, Chanyeol’s grin was toothy and bright, outshining even the mid-July sun. “Exactly. So we still on for Thursday?”

“Unless something comes up. Seeing as you helped today, have any desserts in mind?” Kyungsoo took off his seatbelt, gentle as he shifted Sassy in his lap to do so.

Chanyeol tapped his lip again. “That salted caramel cheesecake, maybe? That was really amazing.”

“I think I can manage that.” Kyungsoo slipped out, careful with the cat carrier, switching it to one hand so he could lean down and wave into the car at Chanyeol. “Thanks again. See you next week, Yeol.”

–

The following weeks were surprisingly uneventful, despite having a pregnant pet in the house. Baekhyun, despite being Team Dog Person all the way, had even bought him a “Congrats, You’re now a Foxy Grandpa” t-shirt, to celebrate. Somehow, his friends had managed to force him into it for a picture.

Other than his cat growing larger, most of the research Kyungsoo discovered on cat pregnancies was less of a science and more individual than he expected. Only when Sassy started nosing around in the bathroom cabinet that held his towels and his guest room closet did he realize she must be “nesting” to prepare for the birth.

Luckily, most of Kyungsoo’s set restaurant reviews weren’t going to take him out of town for a little while, so he had time to be around for the inevitable kittens. One morning, as padded into the bathroom, he heard the feeblest little mew from under the sink.

Upon inspection, Kyungsoo was pleased to discover a very proud looking Sassy, surrounded by five small kittens. A couple were similar shades of cream and brown like their mother, but the other three were sharply darker, one almost entirely black.

Glad for his foresight in moving all of the nicer towels out into the hall closet, he knelt down and gave Sassy a little scratch, pleased in her nuzzle and trill of satisfaction. “You did fantastically, Sass.”

Not really a social media guy, Kyungsoo instead drug his phone out from his pajamas bottoms and snapped a shot for his friends in their group chat. As soon as the message fully sent, a barrage of replies streamed after it.

 _BaekHUNG: OMG!_  
_ChanChantheIronMan: I wish I wasn’t allergic :( I want_ them _all!_  
_BaekHUNG: Mong would eat them! they’re so tinyyyyyyyyy._  
_DaeBae: They look like me. :3 Dibs on kitty godfather._  
_ChanChantheIronMan: Excuse me, I took Kyungsoo to the vet. I’m clearly the godfather!_  
_BaekHUNG: Name one after me! I’m your favorite, Soo! <3333333_

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo silenced his phone, but he couldn’t jostle the smile from his face. Petting Sassy one last time, he finally stood to pee, his whole intention for entering the bathroom in the first place.

–

Knowing the kittens would be fine without his interference, Kyungsoo decided to take up an offer for a restaurant a day trip away just a week later. He’d only asked for Baekhyun and Jongdae to stop by, but he should have known by their eager replies that there was motive.

Said motive was a giant banner over his porch, customized in Jongdae’s handwriting with one of Baekhyun’s artistic endeavors on the side:

_Congrats! It’s a ~~boy~~ KITTENS!_

Poor grammar and all, Kyungsoo was endeared. Of course he was too short (and tired from his drive) to manage taking it down so late in the afternoon. He shot the men each a text, so they could be sure he saw their handiwork, before trudging up towards his front door. Something was resting on his doorstep, and he briefly wondered if this was more to their little prank.

It was a bag of kitten chow, with the words “child support” written on a slip of paper attached to the top. Below that was a note.

Brows knit in curiosity, he took the letter and opened it.

_Dear neighbor,_

_So I kind of saw your banner (not that it could be missed), and realized that I might actually be the owner of your cat’s baby daddy. Binx was acting awfully antsy when I let him out a while back and I swore I saw another cat in our yard that day. Google tells me that’s a pretty good timeline for your particular kitty pregnancy. The least I could do was shell out a bit in return, if Binx really did...well, have a good time with your cat. I’ve included my number, if you’d want to meet up to discuss me helping you find homes for the kittens. I also live just across the street in 1299, if that works better._

_Congrats on being a grandparent,_

_Kim Minseok_

Binx; now where had Kyungsoo heard that name before. Was it that movie with the witches? If he was remembering it correctly, Binx had been a black cat...and that would certainly explain the darker kittens in the litter.

Either way, it was rather kind of his neighbor to own up and offer to help him. As there was no daytime tv show testing cat paternity, he really didn’t have to say anything. Kyungsoo was still tired, down to his bones, but he saw a car in 1299’s drive, so he had a feeling the other man might be around.

Walking across the street, he brought up his hand to knock. The door opened and Kyungsoo was wholly unprepared for the gorgeous man in the door frame. Almond-shaped eyes, almost sparkling in the porch light, and a bright smile (slightly crooked in a charming way) had Kyungsoo suddenly forgetting how to use his words. Why he had stopped by in the first place?

“Can I help you?” Minseok’s voice (if this was Minseok) was soft, light.

A black cat, with candy-apple green eyes, began to weave between the man’s feet, butting into their conversation.

“I’m Kyungsoo, from across the street...” voice suddenly returning, Kyungsoo held up the letter. “I...are you...”

“My letter!” Minseok bent down, picking up Binx and holding him in his arms. “This is the troublemaker here. I kind of totally let it slip my mind that he needed fixed, seeing as he goes in and out, so he’s never really sprayed in the house. I’m so, so sorry. Is your cat okay?”

Kyungsoo relaxed a little, Minseok was a mood-maker (he could tell), like the rest of his friends, so it was easy to just pretend he was talking to them and not to a stunningly attractive neighbor that he had many possible excuses to talk to in the future. “Sassy’s doing really well. She had five kittens, although only one of them seemed to have gotten your cat’s coloring.”

“Sassy? Like from Homeward Bound?” Minseok scratched under his cat’s chin as Kyungsoo nodded. “Nice. This feels like a mashup of epic nineties proportions. Now if they start talking though...”

Laughing Kyungsoo tried to imagine the two fictional cats having children like themselves. “I don’t know if I could handle that on my own. So far they seem to mew a lot, but no biting sarcasm or wit yet.”

“How old are they?” Minseok stepped inside. “You want to pop in for a minute?”

Kyungsoo took the offer, following him in. Compared to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s place, Minseok’s was immaculate, even with owning a long-haired cat. Kyungsoo was impressed. “Thanks. They’re just about a week old.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. Do you have homes lined up yet?” Minseok let Binx go to the floor, where he began to weave around Kyungsoo’s legs for attention instead.

Kyungsoo leaned down to pet him, giving the new cat a chance to smell his hands first. “Just for one, so far.”

Minseok smiled. “I’ve got a couple people too, if you want their information.”

“That’d be great. Thank you.” Kyungsoo wished the conversation wasn’t so note for note predictable and that he was more adept at turning it. Minseok was gorgeous, easy to be around, and Kyungsoo hadn’t felt this drawn in by someone for a long time.

Minseok started rattling off numbers, Kyungsoo dutifully putting them into his phone for later use. By the time he finished, Minseok was watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

“Umm...do I have...” Kyungsoo reached up, wiping at his cheek.

Chuckling, Minseok shook his head. “Just a shame that Binx might have ruined my chances, but then again, you are the most gorgeous person that’s ever stood in my doorway so maybe I should thank him.”

All of the wind was startled right out of his lungs and he knew his eyes had to be as wide as Chanyeol drew them when he was teasing. “I...what?”

“Just saying, I did give you my number.” Minseok rubbed the back of his head, suddenly sheepish. “If that’s not too forward, and all.”

The paper still in his hand. Kyungsoo found his footing again in the conversation, even if it was new territory and he still felt off balance. “I was literally trying to figure out how to wedge into the conversation that I was single, so...not too forward at all.”

“You’re the man always coming and going, if the lack of car in your drive is any indication. You text me when you’re free. I’ll be waiting.” Minseok’s wonky smile was not going to leave Kyungsoo’s mind, even once he was home and finally tucked into bed.

“I...I do need to check on the kittens though.” Kyungsoo smiled his best in return (hoping Minseok really liked the heart-shape as much as his friends did).

Minseok shooed him off with his hand. “Tell them their other grandpa says hello! See you around, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo was lucky they didn’t live on a busy street, as he hardly looked both ways before crossing. Once inside, shoes kicked near the hall closet, he padded into the bathroom, greeted by a choir of tiny meows and Sassy, sniffing around him curiously.

“Never thought my cat would get laid before me.” He knelt down to pet her, from ears to tail like she liked. “But I also never thought it might get me laid, so...guess who’s getting some canned food tonight.

Sassy knew those words almost more than her own name, and soon she was bounding into the kitchen with gusto. “Hang on, girl. Let me text him first.”

**Author's Note:**

> My apologies for the strange formatting/error in the group chat section. Long story short, my computer had a meltdown and I was just glad I could save the fic before bed and I didn’t have a chance to look over my post. It should be fixed now! Sorry!
> 
> This was based on a post going around tumblr/reddit where someone's cat got pregnant from a neighbor's cat and they left "child support" pet food on the porch. I know Soo has dogs, but seeing as Minseok just uploaded a picture of Tan, cats seemed more fitting. Plus Sassy and Binx are two of my favorite childhood animals. Fun fact: both movies came out in 1993. A good year for talking cats.
> 
> Minseok and Kyungsoo always have brilliant chemistry. It was a joy to write for them. For fans of the pairing, I have one more XiuSoo to fit into Saptember after this so stay tuned!
> 
> EXO and all other Kpop entertainers presented here are real people and so I remind you that this is just a fic, like a play with their stage personas as the actors. This is not intended to be a representation of who these men and women are or are not. Remember to love and respect them always. And thanks for reading! <3


End file.
